Harry Reidhttp://www.businessinsider.com/category/harry-reid
en-usFri, 18 Aug 2017 01:18:18 -0400Fri, 18 Aug 2017 01:18:18 -0400The latest news on Harry Reid from Business Insiderhttp://static3.businessinsider.com/assets/images/bilogo-250x36-wide-rev.pngBusiness Insiderhttp://www.businessinsider.com
http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-budget-nuclear-waste-yucca-mountain-nevada-las-vegas-2017-4Trump's budget revives a controversial plan to store America's nuclear waste near Las Vegas — here's how that would workhttp://www.businessinsider.com/trump-budget-nuclear-waste-yucca-mountain-nevada-las-vegas-2017-4
Fri, 21 Apr 2017 13:30:56 -0400Matthew Stuart
<p>In 1987, Nevada's Yucca Mountain was designated as the place to store America's nuclear waste. Millions of dollars went into researching the mountain and developing facilities to hold nuclear waste for thousands of years. However, waste has never actually been stored there. Red tape, local officials, environmentalists, and other parties have all managed to place the plans on an indefinite delay. President Trump's budget calls for reviving the project. Here's how it would work.</p>
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Fri, 07 Apr 2017 11:28:20 -0400Natasha Bertrand
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/57ebebc95124c9617fb5dbfa-800/cia-chief-opposes-bill-allowing-911-suits-against-saudi-arabia-2016-9.jpg" alt="Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Brennan participates in a session at the third annual Intelligence and National Security Summit in Washington, U.S., September 8, 2016. REUTERS/Gary Cameron" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="CIA Director Brennan participates in session at Intelligence and National Security Summit in Washington"></p><p>The former director of the CIA, John Brennan, told top lawmakers last August that the agency had information to suggest that unnamed associates of President Donald Trump were working with Russia to undermine Hillary Clinton during the election, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/06/us/trump-russia-cia-john-brennan.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&amp;smid=nytcore-iphone-share">The New York Times reported</a> on Thursday.</p>
<p>The CIA early last summer obtained evidence of Russia's efforts to help Trump, The Times reported, and concluded before the FBI did that Russia's goal was not just to undermine the election, but to boost Trump's chances of winning.</p>
<p>Whereas the CIA was fairly confident by late August that the Russians were working to boost Trump, the FBI did not publicly draw that conclusion until early December. Because the CIA deals exclusively with foreign intelligence, it did not have the authority to announce the evidence it apparently had of such collusion.</p>
<p>So Brennan indicated to lawmakers that "the FBI, in charge of domestic intelligence, would have to lead the way," The Times reported.</p>
<p>Brennan was supposed to testify last month before the House Intelligence Committee about Russia's election interference, but the hearing was canceled by the committee's chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes.</p>
<p>Nunes, a California Republican who served on Trump's transition team, stepped aside from the committee's Trump-Russia probe on Thursday <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/devin-nunes-house-intelligence-committee-russia-investigation-2017-4" target="_blank">amid an investigation</a> into whether he improperly disclosed classified information.</p>
<p>Several reports have emerged since January about previously undisclosed contacts during the election between Russian officials and members of Trump's inner circle including top adviser Jared Kushner, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The FBI apparently has been examining these and other contacts since July, but it said only last month that its investigation into Russia's election meddling would also examine Trump and his associates.</p>
<p>Former Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid had early on urged the FBI to publicly disclose what information it had about Trump's ties to Russia.</p>
<p>In late August, just after he was briefed by Brennan, Reid asked FBI Director James Comey to warn Americans about Russia's election interference, which <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/us/politics/harry-reid-russia-tampering-election-fbi.html">he said was</a> "more extensive than is widely known and may include the intent to falsify official election results."</p>
<p>Reid <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/079514093c2b4307aa51c14f0b9ce45e/top-senate-dem-says-fbi-chief-may-have-broken-law-emails">sent another letter</a> in late October, just after a letter Comey sent to Congress was made public. Comey's letter said the FBI was reexamining the investigation of Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, but did not indicate it was examining the Trump campaign's ties to Russia.</p>
<p>"Your actions in recent months have demonstrated a disturbing double standard for the treatment of sensitive information, with what appears to be a clear intent to aid one political party over another," Reid wrote.</p>
<p>"In my communications with you and other top officials in the national security community, it has become clear that you possess explosive information about close ties and coordination between Donald Trump, his top advisors, and the Russian government — a foreign interest openly hostile to the United States, which Trump praises at every opportunity," <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/10/31/harry-reid-just-made-a-huge-incendiary-evidence-free-claim-about-trump-and-russia/?utm_term=.4c7cf5f14aa7">he added</a>.</p>
<p>The revelation that the CIA had intelligence suggesting collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign — but could not act on it because domestic intelligence is within the FBI's purview — aligns with reports that a counterintelligence task force was set up as early as April 2016 to investigate whether money had been exchanged between the Kremlin and Trump campaign associates.</p>
<p>The task force included the CIA, the FBI, the Treasury and Justice departments, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the National Security Agency, according to the BBC and McClatchy. It was established after Brennan <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38589427" target="_blank">received a recording of a conversation</a> about money from the Kremlin going into Trump's campaign coffers, according to those reports. The recording was then passed to the CIA by the intelligence agency of one of the Baltic States, according to the BBC.</p>
<p>The FBI was also in possession around that time of an explosive but unverified dossier about Russia's attempts to cultivate Trump and his associates as foreign assets. The FBI is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-russia-dossier-fbi-investigation-2017-3" target="_blank">now using that dossier as a "roadmap"</a> for its investigation into Russia's election interference, according to the BBC's Paul Wood.</p>
<p>The FBI has in the past worked with the author of the dossier, Christopher Steele, who cultivated an extensive network of Russian sources during his time on MI6's Moscow desk, according to Wood. Steele, a former spy, apparently worked with the FBI on matters related to Russia and Ukraine between 2013 and 2016, specifically with the FBI's Eurasian Joint Organized Crime Squad, according to a lengthy profile in <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/03/how-the-explosive-russian-dossier-was-compiled-christopher-steele" target="_blank">Vanity Fair</a>.</p>
<p>The FBI now has information to suggest that Trump's associates "communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the release of information damaging to Hillary Clinton's campaign," <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/22/politics/us-officials-info-suggests-trump-associates-may-have-coordinated-with-russians/index.html">CNN reported</a> last month — a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/updated-trump-russia-election-timeline-fbi-2017-3" target="_blank">quid pro quo that was outlined</a> in Steele's dossier, written between June and December.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-attack-syria-assad-putin-trump-2017-4" >'Never again' or 'maybe just this once'?: Experts fear the US's 'one-off' attack in Syria sent a message that will be quickly forgotten</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/john-brennan-cia-trump-russia-2017-4#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/paul-manafort-center-trump-russia-investigation-what-need-know-2017-7">Paul Manafort is at the center of the Trump-Russia investigation — here's what you need to know about him</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-budget-would-revive-plans-to-store-nuclear-waste-in-nevada-2017-3Trump's budget would revive plans to store nuclear waste in Nevadahttp://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-budget-would-revive-plans-to-store-nuclear-waste-in-nevada-2017-3
Thu, 16 Mar 2017 21:18:00 -0400Andrew Follett
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/58caa526112f7091008b456d-657/69494009400153611542100015361147496001-vs.jpg" alt="Donald Trump" data-mce-source="Fox News" data-mce-caption="President Donald Trump."></p><p>President Donald Trump’s budget revives plans to store nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.</p>
<p>The budget “provides $120 million to restart licensing activities for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste,<br>repository and initiate a robust interim storage program,” <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/budget/fy2018/2018_blueprint.pdf" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','download','http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/budget/fy2018/2018_blueprint.pdf']);">according to a&nbsp;budget summary</a>. “These investments would accelerate progress on fulfilling the Federal Government’s obligations to address nuclear waste, enhance national security, and reduce future taxpayer burden.”</p>
<p>Energy Secretary Rick Perry <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2017/01/19/rick-perry-kills-hopes-that-yucca-mountain-will-store-nuclear-waste/" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://dailycaller.com']);">did not commit</a>&nbsp;to blocking the project when questioned by Nevada’s Democratic Sen. Cortez Masto during his confirmation hearing. A majority of Nevada’s residents and virtually all of Nevada’s elected officials oppose opening the Yucca facility.</p>
<p>Plans to store waste at Yucca Mountain had been killed by political opposition from former Nevada Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, creating legal liabilities for the federal government that could exceed $50 billion. Barack Obama prevented the site from opening, leaving nuclear plants without a good place to store spent nuclear fuel.</p>
<p>The Department of Energy <a href="http://www.nrc.gov/waste/hlw-disposal/yucca-lic-app.html" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.nrc.gov']);">submitted its proposal</a> to build Yucca Mountain in June of 2008, and the project <a href="http://www.winston.com/en/energy-industry-watch/yucca-mountain-holy-grail-still-not-dead.html" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.winston.com']);">met the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC) safety standards</a> in October of 2014. The NRC <a href="http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr2184/" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.nrc.gov']);">released a report in May</a> determining the site would have no adverse environmental impact on the local groundwater, soil, ecology or public health for a period of one million years.</p>
<p><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/58caf638d349f932008b4a65-400/yuccamtworkers212.jpg" alt="yucca mountain nuclear waste dump" width="766" height="383" data-mce-source="Wikimedia Commons"></p>
<p>The Department of Energy (DOE) didn’t account for about $25 billion in costs when considering plans to build separate defense and commercial nuclear waste repositories at Yucca Mountain, <a href="http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-17-174" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.gao.gov']);">according to an audit by the Government Accountability Office</a> (GAO).</p>
<p>The lack of a permanent site to store waste had been a major drag on the nuclear power industry.</p>
<p>America currently operates 99 nuclear reactors across 61 commercially-operated nuclear power plants, <a href="https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=207&amp;t=3" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.eia.gov']);">according to the Energy Information Administration</a>. The average nuclear plant employs between 400 and 700 highly-skilled workers, has a payroll of about $40 million and contributes $470 million to the local economy, <a href="http://www.nei.org/corporatesite/media/filefolder/policy/papers/jobs.pdf" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','download','http://www.nei.org/corporatesite/media/filefolder/policy/papers/jobs.pdf']);">according to the Nuclear Energy Institute</a>.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/whats-in-trumps-budget-that-will-pass-congress-2017-3" >We've already tried budgeting Trump's way and it was a huge failure</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-budget-would-revive-plans-to-store-nuclear-waste-in-nevada-2017-3#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/details-game-of-thrones-season-7-episode-4-hbo-jon-snow-daenerys-2017-8">8 details you might have missed on season 7 episode 4 of 'Game of Thrones'</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/autodesk-ceo-says-harry-reid-read-dr-seuss-in-a-meeting-2017-2The CEO of an $18 billion software company says Harry Reid once spent a meeting reading him Dr. Seusshttp://www.businessinsider.com/autodesk-ceo-says-harry-reid-read-dr-seuss-in-a-meeting-2017-2
Mon, 06 Feb 2017 20:12:36 -0500Julie Bort
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/56eac5db52bcd028008b6f3b-2400/ap_884300612079.jpg" alt="harry reid" data-mce-source="AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite" /></p><p>Carl Bass, CEO of software company&nbsp;Autodesk with a market cap of $18 billion describes himself as "batsh*t about President Trump" and he's felt that way "for a year," throughout the campaign, he <a href="https://pando.com/2017/02/06/autodesk-ceo-carl-bass-ive-been-batshit-about-trump-year-hes-acting-somewhere-between-dictator-and-small-business-owner/245af5a7f062b0f5f4427a3f338e1b601020ff58/">told Pando Daily's Sarah Lacy.</a></p>
<p>Like many other folks in the U.S. who are not fans of the new president, Bass has got a long list of concerns.</p>
<p>They range from some of Trump's personality traits ("This idea that you can have alternative facts, and objective reality doesn&rsquo;t matter is really disturbing," Bass says.")&nbsp;to the people Trump has&nbsp;advising him, like Steve Bannon. ("Imagine we had a left-wing President, and he decided to appoint Arianna Huffington as the person to preside over the National Security Council," he describes.)</p>
<p>Bass is not on Trump's economic advisory committee, but unlike most Americans, he does&nbsp;have a long history of interacting with Washington politicians. He's been the spokesperson for software lobbying groups. (Autodesk is a member of the BSA Software Alliance, for instance.)</p>
<p>And, he says, those experiences were also crazy-making.</p>
<p>"We would go to Washington and lobby about something like anti-piracy being part of the trade agreement with China. My personal experience was that it was the most frustrating days of my job, because you felt like stuff never got done. All you were trying to do was get them to understand a little bit about something," he said.</p>
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/589917926e09a880028b495d-400/undefined" alt="carl-bass-autodesk" data-mce-source="singularityu/ YouTube" data-link="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Chaj7iK-lt8" />He described one situation where he was talking to a "congressman from Texas" who didn't understand that a company's offshore money was stored in an overseas bank. During the conversation the Congressman leaned back, put his boots on the table and asked Bass "Son, so you are telling me that when your money is overseas, it&rsquo;s not in US banks?&rdquo;</p>
<p>But the funniest story he told was a meeting with former US Senator Harry Reid, "who sat there with CEOs and read us a bunch of pages out of a Dr. Seuss book," he describes. "We are all looking at each other like, &ldquo;I must be high, or I&rsquo;d like to be high."</p>
<p>Bass couldn't really explain point of&nbsp;that meeting, "Something in there was some kind of parable or lesson, but we were too literal and stupid to understand what he was talking about. He had some point, I have no idea what it is to this day."</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/better-to-be-a-software-engineer-than-a-pro-athlete-2017-1" >If you want to be a millionaire, it's better to be a software engineer than a pro athlete</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-shuts-down-ads-over-pedobear-logo-reader-comments-2017-2" >Google cut off a website’s revenue because of something in an article's comments from six years ago</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/autodesk-ceo-says-harry-reid-read-dr-seuss-in-a-meeting-2017-2#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/whats-inside-pimple-pus-bacteria-acne-2017-8">All the nasty things inside a pimple — and why you should stop popping them</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/electoral-college-undemocratic-harry-reid-trump-hillary-clinton-2016-12'UNDEMOCRATIC': Harry Reid goes in on the Electoral Collegehttp://www.businessinsider.com/electoral-college-undemocratic-harry-reid-trump-hillary-clinton-2016-12
Tue, 13 Dec 2016 22:54:05 -0500Chris Sanchez
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5850b1c2ca7f0ccb018b582e-2400/undefined" alt="Harry Reid" data-mce-source="Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Harry Reid." /></p><p></p>
<p>Retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid blasted the Electoral College in an interview with BuzzFeed Tuesday calling it "very undemocratic."</p>
<p>Reid joins a chorus of critics asserting that the institution should be disbanded after President-elect Donald Trump's stunning victory in the presidential election.</p>
<p>Although Trump won enough electoral votes to win the White House, he lost the the popular vote to his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, by more than <a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TRUMP_LANDSLIDE_FACT_CHECK?SITE=AP&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT">2.6 million votes</a> and counting.</p>
<p>"In this election Hillary Clinton wound up getting getting almost 3 million more votes than Trump," Reid said, "it&rsquo;s time the system goes. It is very undemocratic."</p>
<p>The discrepancy has led to a movement among so-called "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/electoral-college-washington-2016-11">faithless electors"</a> nationwide who are threatening to refuse to vote for Trump when all 538 electors meet on December 19 to finalize the results of the election and certify his victory.</p>
<p>&ldquo;People should join together to get rid of this. It is unfair presidential elections are focused on seven states. It&rsquo;s wrong. We should have a general election,&rdquo; Reid said.</p>
<p>A federal judge on Monday <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/colorado-electors-block-donald-trump-presidency-2016-12">rejected a move by two Colorado electors</a> who sought to get out of casting their votes for Trump. The two electors, who are both Democrats, sought to encourage Republican electors nationwide to pick a third-party candidate, and offered to cast their Democratic votes for a consensus candidate who is not Hillary Clinton.</p>
<p>During Reid's interview Tuesday, he commented on the CIA's findings that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cia-russia-helped-trump-win-us-election-2016-12">Russia attempted to help Trump win</a> via a coordinated hacking campaign targeting the Democratic Party, calling the matter "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-russian-hacking-watergate-911-2016-12">as big a deal as Watergate or 9/11.</a>"</p>
<p>The CIA's revelation could be another point of contention when the electors meet later this month, Reid said.</p>
<p>&ldquo;If these electors had the same briefings that I had, they would be concerned about the election.&rdquo;</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-russian-hacking-watergate-911-2016-12" >Harry Reid says Russian hacking is 'as big a deal as Watergate or 9/11'</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>DON'T MISS:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-conflicts-of-interest-latest-move-2016-12" >Ethics experts say Trump's latest move to distance himself from his business empire is not enough: 'Nothing of consequence has changed'</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/electoral-college-undemocratic-harry-reid-trump-hillary-clinton-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/joshua-green-devils-bargain-chris-christie-trump-election-night-germaphobe-cell-phone-2017-7">Chris Christie ruined his relationship with Trump because the president is a germaphobe</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-russian-hacking-watergate-911-2016-12Harry Reid says Russia's hacking of the Democratic Party is 'as big a deal as Watergate or 9/11'http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-russian-hacking-watergate-911-2016-12
Tue, 13 Dec 2016 22:10:36 -0500Chris Sanchez
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/5850a6a1ca7f0ccb018b581a-2400/undefined" alt="Harry Reid" data-mce-source="Reuters" data-mce-caption="Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014." /></p><p></p>
<p>Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid compared the gravity of Russia's alleged meddling in the US presidential election to the Watergate scandal and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.</p>
<p>"I think they should have a 9/11-type commission," Reid said <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/BuzzFeedPol/videos/?ref=page_internal">during an interview with BuzzFeed</a> on Tuesday night, referring to the panel that examined the details of the September 11, 2001, attacks.</p>
<p>Last week, The New York Times and The Washington Post reported findings from the CIA that suggested <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cia-russia-helped-trump-win-us-election-2016-12">Russia tried to help Donald Trump win</a> the presidential election via its hacking of Democratic Party organizations.</p>
<p>A trove of emails and documents from those breaches were published by WikiLeaks.</p>
<p>Reid <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-fbi-comey-russia-cost-clinton-election-2016-12">has been critical of the FBI's response</a> to the hacking, saying the FBI director, James Comey, "ignored" the reports and "single-handedly" cost Democrat Hillary Clinton the election by disclosing the renewal of the investigation into her private email server just two weeks before the election.</p>
<p>"Basically what I said is that it appears to me with all the information that is public which substantiates some of the information that I've received indicates that Comey should take a look at this and that was ignored," Reid said.</p>
<p>Reid joined Clinton's campaign in <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/clinton-campaign-fbi-director-james-comey-2016-11">accusing Comey</a> of costing the Democratic nominee the presidential election with his actions.</p>
<p>"To think that someone who's head of the FBI would abrogate, go against, repudiate a long-standing precedent in the Justice Department that the FBI would not get involved in the last several weeks of an election. Well he got involved not once but several times," Reid said.</p>
<p>"We can look at many different reasons that we lost the Senate and Hillary didn't get elected, but Comey is one of the principals."</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-russian-hacking-watergate-911-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-secretary-of-state-putin-rex-tillerson-exxon-mobil-2016-12">Trump's pick for secretary of state has a personal relationship with Putin that's been called a 'matter of concern'</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-fbi-comey-russia-cost-clinton-election-2016-12HARRY REID: 'Partisan' Comey 'ignored' reports of Russian meddling and 'single-handedly' cost Clinton the electionhttp://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-fbi-comey-russia-cost-clinton-election-2016-12
Mon, 12 Dec 2016 12:50:15 -0500Allan Smith
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/584edc20ca7f0ccb018b5072-1253/screen shot 2016-12-12 at 121845 pm.png" alt="Harry Reid" data-mce-source="Screenshot/CNN" data-mce-caption="Harry Reid." /></p><p>Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid lambasted FBI Director James Comey in a Monday interview with CNN, claiming that Comey "single-handedly" cost Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton the election.</p>
<p>Comey released a letter to congressional leaders less than two weeks before the November 8 election announcing that authorities had discovered additional emails related to the investigation into Clinton's use of a private server while she was secretary of state. The agency then announced days before the election that the additional emails had not changed its recommendation that Clinton not be charged with criminal wrongdoing.</p>
<p>"Had he not written that letter a week or so before the election, she would've won," Reid said. "We would've picked up at least two more Senate seats."</p>
<p>The Nevada Democrat also criticized Comey for not taking a stronger stance against reported Russian meddling in the US election. The Washington Post and The New York Times reported Friday that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cia-russia-helped-trump-win-us-election-2016-12" target="_blank">an assessment by the CIA</a> concluded that Russia interfered in the election to help Trump's presidential bid.</p>
<p>"They ignored it," said Reid, who wrote a letter to Comey regarding Russian intervention before the election. "The FBI director didn't have the decency, the courtesy, to even respond to my letter."</p>
<p>He said the response he got from a lower-level official "said they were looking into it," but, he said, "they looked into nothing."</p>
<p>Calling Comey a "partisan," Reid doubled down on his assertion that Comey "ignored" intelligence that pointed toward Russia's involvement in the hacking of emails from members of the Democratic National Committee and Clinton's campaign from WikiLeaks.</p>
<p>"It was obvious," Reid said. "There is information out there, he had it ... and he ignored it."</p>
<p>The effort from WikiLeaks was "all directed to hurt Clinton" and "they certainly didn't leak any information" regarding Republican organizations and campaigns, he said.</p>
<p>Asked about his past intense criticism of Trump, Reid said he stood by all of his prior statements, asking "what's wrong" with any of them. He did say, however, that Trump "doesn't appear to be as bad as I thought he would be."</p>
<p>"Well, he said he's going to try and help the Dreamers, he has shut up about the fence, he appears to be somebody who's trying to not be as crazy as his election," he said, adding, "He's still bad, but not as bad as I thought he would be."</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mcconnell-russia-trump-election-2016-12" >'The Russians are not our friends': McConnell backs calls for probe after reports of Russian effort to influence election</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-fbi-comey-russia-cost-clinton-election-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/congress-leaders-investigate-election-interference-russia-hacking-russia-dnc-donald-trump-2016-12">Congressional leaders want an investigation into Russia's alleged interference with the US election, but Trump is unconvinced</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/hillary-clinton-fake-news-real-world-consequences-2016-12HILLARY CLINTON: 'So-called fake news can have real-world consequences ... lives are at risk'http://www.businessinsider.com/hillary-clinton-fake-news-real-world-consequences-2016-12
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 18:04:52 -0500Emmanuel Ocbazghi
<p><span>Hillary Clinton said fake news is an "epidemic" and "a danger that must be addressed and addressed quickly" while attending a p</span><span>ortrait unveiling on Capitol&nbsp;Hill, in honor of retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid.</span></p>
<p><span><strong>Follow BI Video:</strong><span> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/bi_video">On Twitter</a></span></p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hillary-clinton-fake-news-real-world-consequences-2016-12#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-recount-clinton-trump-jill-stein-2016-11Harry Reid gave a blunt 3-word response when asked if he supported recount effortshttp://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-recount-clinton-trump-jill-stein-2016-11
Tue, 29 Nov 2016 15:29:16 -0500Allan Smith
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static5.businessinsider.com/image/583ddec2e02ba78f1c8b678e-1152/gettyimages-610706930 1.jpg" alt="Harry Reid" data-mce-source="Alex Wong/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Harry Reid." /></p><p>Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid shrugged when asked on Tuesday if he supported the recount effort spearheaded by Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.</p>
<p>"Sure, why not?" the Nevada Democrat told reporters at a press conference.</p>
<p>Stein, along with another third-party candidate, last week <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-jill-stein-recount-hillary-clinton-2016-11" target="_blank">petitioned for a recount in Wisconsin</a>, one of the most closely contested states. Officials there began the recount process on Monday. Stein also filed for a recount in Pennsylvania, and has said she would file in Michigan as well.</p>
<p>The recount process is viewed as unlikely to change the results in any of the three states.</p>
<p>But the effort, in which Hillary Clinton's campaign has said it will participate, has angered President-elect Donald Trump. He slammed it as a "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-jill-stein-recount-hillary-clinton-2016-11" target="_blank">scam</a>" on Saturday, and went on a tweetstorm saying he would've won the popular vote had there not been "millions" of people who "illegally" voted, a claim he did not back up with any evidence.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-jill-stein-recount-hillary-clinton-2016-11" >Trump slams 'scam' Jill Stein election recount effort</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-recount-clinton-trump-jill-stein-2016-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/paul-manafort-center-trump-russia-investigation-what-need-know-2017-7">Paul Manafort is at the center of the Trump-Russia investigation — here's what you need to know about him</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-harry-reid-2010-letter-2016-11Trump in 2010 letter to Harry Reid: 'You are amazing!'http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-harry-reid-2010-letter-2016-11
Mon, 21 Nov 2016 12:26:27 -0500Allan Smith
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/58332aa0ba6eb66d268b54dd-2352/gettyimages-617642600.jpg" alt="Harry Reid" data-mce-source="Ethan Miller/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="Harry Reid."></p><p></p>
<p>President-elect Donald Trump wrote a letter to then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada in 2010 following his victory over Republican opponent Sharron Angle congratulating him and adding "you are amazing!"</p>
<p>The letter, <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/katenocera/you-are-amazing-donald-trump-wrote-to-harry-reid-in-2010?utm_term=.oyx1rrJ1dk#.feWkNNWkvg" target="_blank">which was provided by Reid's office to BuzzFeed</a> on Sunday, came after Trump ridiculed the outgoing Senate minority leader in a weekend tweet.</p>
<p>"I have always had a good relationship with Chuck Schumer," <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/800339165829283840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">Trump wrote</a>. "He is far smarter than Harry R and has the ability to get things done. Good news!"</p>
<p>Trump donated $4,800 to Reid's 2010 campaign. Schumer, the incoming Senate minority leader and a New York senator, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-chuck-schumer-donations-2016-11" target="_blank">received the most in donations</a> from Trump of any sitting member of the Senate.</p>
<h2>Here's the letter:</h2>
<p><div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
“You Are Amazing!” Donald Trump Wrote To Harry Reid In 2010 <a href="https://t.co/sRGFLSZWWB">https://t.co/sRGFLSZWWB</a> (This was *after* Trump's conversion to conservatism.) <a href="https://t.co/SZz4Jmw1yq">pic.twitter.com/SZz4Jmw1yq</a> </p>— McKay Coppins (@mckaycoppins) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/800519351317172229">November 21, 2016</a>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-chuck-schumer-donations-2016-11" >Trump and his family have donated thousands to the man who's now the most powerful Democrat in Washington</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-harry-reid-2010-letter-2016-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/drone-captured-shocking-footage-inequality-mexico-city-south-africa-economics-apartheid-2017-8">A drone captured shocking footage of inequality in Mexico City and South Africa</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-trump-steve-bannon-2016-11HARRY REID UNLOADS: Trump put 'a champion of white supremacists a step away from the Oval Office'http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-trump-steve-bannon-2016-11
Tue, 15 Nov 2016 17:07:02 -0500Oliver Darcy
<p>Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday accused President-elect Donald Trump of placing "a champion of white supremacists a step away from the Oval Office."</p>
<p>Reid made his incendiary comments about the appointment of Steve Bannon, who rose to prominence as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-steve-bannon-2016-11" target="_blank">the executive chairman of the alt-right website Breitbart</a>, on the Senate floor.</p>
<p>"What message does Trump send to the young girl who woke up Wednesday morning in Rhode Island afraid to be a woman of color in America?" the outgoing minority leader asked.</p>
<p>"It is certainly not a message of healing."</p>
<p><div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
Sen. Reid: Trump placed a "champion of white supremacists a step away from the Oval Office" <a href="https://t.co/ZaiJZYL6Jo">https://t.co/ZaiJZYL6Jo</a> <a href="https://t.co/ewbmAXh9iU">https://t.co/ewbmAXh9iU</a> </p>— ABC News (@ABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/798638385841598464">November 15, 2016</a>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></p>
<p>Bannon was announced on Sunday as Trump's chief White House strategist, a move that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-bannon-chief-strategist-trump-2016-11" target="_blank">prompted a frenzy of condemnation</a> from both liberals and conservatives. As the head of Breitbart, Bannon steered the website toward the fringes of the right, championing nationalistic and anti-immigrant rhetoric. He once described it as "the platform for the alt-right."</p>
<p>Reid said that, as a result, white nationalists had praised Trump's White House appointment of Bannon.</p>
<p>"If Trump is serious about seeking unity, the first thing he should do is rescind his appointment of Steve Bannon," Reid said.</p>
<p>The Nevada senator continued: "As long as a champion of racial division is a step away from the Oval Office, it will be impossible to take Trump's efforts to heal the nation seriously. So I say to Donald Trump: take responsibility."</p>
<p>"Rise to the dignity of the office instead of hiding behind your Twitter account," Reid concluded. "And show America that racism, bullying, and bigotry have no place in your White House."</p>
<p>Reid's comments came just days after he <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-donald-trump-election-2016-11" target="_blank">released a scathing statement</a> in which he said Trump's election had "emboldened the forces of hate and bigotry." In the statement, the five-term senator called Trump a "sexual predator."</p>
<p>On Sunday, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/kellyanne-conway-harry-reid-donald-trump-2016-11" target="_blank">warned Reid to be careful</a> in a "legal sense" when criticizing the president-elect.</p>
<p>President Barack Obama has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-steve-bannon-breitbart-trump-appointment-2016-11" target="_blank">declined to comment</a> on Trump's appointment of Bannon.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-steve-bannon-2016-11" >Meet Steve Bannon, Trump's highly controversial pick for White House chief strategist</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-trump-steve-bannon-2016-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/barack-obama-donald-trump-temperament-white-house-election-president-elect-2016-11">OBAMA: Certain elements of Trump's temperament 'may not serve him well' in the White House</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/kellyanne-conway-harry-reid-donald-trump-2016-11Trump campaign manager issues ominous warning to Harry Reid: Be careful in a ‘legal sense’ when criticizing Trumphttp://www.businessinsider.com/kellyanne-conway-harry-reid-donald-trump-2016-11
Sun, 13 Nov 2016 12:17:36 -0500Maxwell Tani
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5828955e691e882a4e8b5a8f-1065/screen shot 2016-11-13 at 11.29.16 am.png" alt="kellyanne conway" data-mce-source="Fox News" data-mce-caption="Kellyanne Conway on Fox News Sunday." /></p><p>Donald Trump's campaign manager warned outgoing Senate Minority Leader that he should be careful in his criticism of the new president-elect.</p>
<p>In a statement on Friday, Reid <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-donald-trump-election-2016-11" target="_blank">released a fiery statement</a> condemning the real-estate mogul for stoking fear among minority groups and emboldening "the forces of hate and bigotry in America."</p>
<p>"If this is going to be a time of healing, we must first put the responsibility for healing where it belongs: at the feet of Donald Trump, a sexual predator who lost the popular vote and fueled his campaign with bigotry and hate," Reid said.</p>
<p>"Winning the electoral college does not absolve Trump of the grave sins he committed against millions of Americans. Donald Trump may not possess the capacity to assuage those fears, but he owes it to this nation to try."</p>
<p>In an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," Conway characterized Reid's comments as "beyond the pale," and suggested that the Nevada senator be careful "in a legal sense" about the way he described Trump.</p>
<p>"They're incredibly disappointing. Talk about not wanting my&nbsp;children to listen to somebody," Conway said.</p>
<p>She added: "And he should be very careful about characterizing someone in a legal sense. He thinks that he's just being some kind of political pundit here, but I would say be very careful about how you characterize that."</p>
<p>When host&nbsp;Chris Wallace pressed Conway over whether she was suggesting Trump would sue Reid, presumably for defamation, the former campaign manager backpedaled.</p>
<p>"I'm not suggesting that at all. I'm calling for responsibility and maturity and decency from someone who has held one of the highest positions in our government," Conway said.</p>
<p>Though many of the left have <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2016/11/more_democrats_should_be_talking_like_harry_reid_right_now.html">cheered</a> Reid for continuing to voice Democratic opposition to Trump,&nbsp;others congressional Democrats have distanced themselves from the outgoing minority leader's comments.</p>
<p>"I want to be very clear, he does not speak for me. As difficult as it is for anyone to lose an election, the American people have spoken and Donald Trump is our President-elect. Senator Reid&rsquo;s words needlessly feed the very divisiveness that is tearing this country apart," West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/joe-manchin-harry-reid-donald-trump-231276">said</a>.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-win-democratic-party-2016-11" >Trump's win has shattered the Democratic Party</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/kellyanne-conway-harry-reid-donald-trump-2016-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-donald-trump-memes-first-200-days-president-white-house-twitter-2017-8">The 9 best memes from Trump's first 200 days in office</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-donald-trump-election-2016-11HARRY REID BREAKS SILENCE: Trump's election has 'emboldened the forces of hate and bigotry'http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-donald-trump-election-2016-11
Fri, 11 Nov 2016 09:59:22 -0500Oliver Darcy
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5825d99046e27a34478b5bea-982/gettyimages-617653588.jpg" alt="GettyImages 617653588" data-mce-source="Ethan Miller/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) speaks at a campaign rally with U.S. President Barack Obama for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at Cheyenne High School on October 23, 2016 in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Obama urged Nevadans to vote early one day after a record-breaking start to early voting in the swing state with almost 40,000 people going to the polls ahead of the November 8 general election." /></p><p>Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid ripped into President-elect Donald Trump on Friday, calling the New York businessman a "sexual predator who lost the popular vote and fueled his campaign with bigotry and hate."</p>
<p>"The election of Donald Trump has emboldened the forces of hate and bigotry in America," Reid said in a statement.</p>
<p>In his first comments on the election of Trump, who shocked much of the US and world with his election night victory, the outgoing Nevada senator said "watching white nationalists celebrate while innocent Americans cry tears of fear does not feel like America."</p>
<p>"I have heard more stories in the past 48 hours of Americans living in fear of their own government and their fellow Americans than I can remember hearing in five decades in politics," he said.</p>
<p>Reid pointed to the fear some minorities have expressed at the election of Trump.</p>
<p>"I've felt their tears, and I've felt their fear," he said.</p>
<p>The five-term senator said he felt that "their fear is entirely rational" and implored the news media to not produce "fluff pieces."</p>
<p>"Every news piece that breathlessly obsesses over inauguration preparations compounds their fear by normalizing a man who has threatened to tear families apart, who has bragged about sexually assaulting women, and who has directed crowds of thousands to intimidate reporters and assault African-Americans," Reid said.</p>
<p>"Their fear is legitimate, and we must refuse to let it fall through the cracks between the fluff pieces," he added.</p>
<p>Reid said that the "responsibility for healing" falls "at the feet of Donald Trump," who he noted lost the popular vote.</p>
<p>"Winning the Electoral College does not absolve Trump of the grave sins he committed against millions of Americans," Reid said. "Donald Trump may not possess the capacity to assuage those fears, but he owes it to this nation to try."</p>
<p>"If Trump wants to roll back the tide of hate he unleashed, he has a tremendous amount of work to do, and he must begin immediately," Reid concluded.</p>
<p>Protests erupted across the country on Thursday night. People took to the streets in several major cities to demonstrate against the president-elect.</p>
<p>In some cities, demonstrations descended into chaos. In Portland, Oregon, an anti-Trump demonstration was <a href="https://twitter.com/PortlandPolice/status/796933213008474112" target="_blank">declared a riot</a> by the police because of "extensive criminal and dangerous behavior." In Salt Lake City, protesters <a href="https://twitter.com/Robertboydfox13/status/796939698602065921" target="_blank">threatened reporters</a>, according to reports from the scene.</p>
<p>Trump initially called the protests "unfair," but <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-protests-riots-2016-11" target="_blank">quickly changed</a> his tone.</p>
<p>"Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country," Trump wrote on Twitter early Friday morning.</p>
<p>The president-elect added, "We will all come together and be proud!"</p>
<p>The Republican businessman will be inaugurated as the 45th president in January.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-protests-riots-2016-11" >Trump quickly changes his tone toward protesters following criticism</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-donald-trump-election-2016-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-seth-meyers-roast-trump-2011-presidential-election-2016-11">It’s surreal to watch this 2011 video of Obama and Seth Meyers taunting Trump about a presidential run</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/trey-gowdy-harry-reid-mormons-drugs-james-comey-fbi-2016-11'I did not know Mormons use drugs': Top GOP congressman rips Harry Reid's letter to the FBI directorhttp://www.businessinsider.com/trey-gowdy-harry-reid-mormons-drugs-james-comey-fbi-2016-11
Tue, 01 Nov 2016 11:01:09 -0400Maxwell Tani
<p>South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy mocked Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid on Sunday evening for suggesting FBI Director James Comey may have violated the Hatch Act by disclosing the agency's continued investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.</p>
<p>In an interview with Fox News, the congressman expressed relief at Reid's impending retirement from the Senate, and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/10/31/harry-reid-just-made-a-huge-incendiary-evidence-free-claim-about-trump-and-russia/">criticized</a> the minority leader's letter to Comey.</p>
<p>"Thank god he's leaving is my initial reaction," Gowdy said. "My second reaction is I did not know Mormons use drugs. Anyone who is capable of sending out the press release has to be under the influence of something."</p>
<p><div>
<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Sie4qBh7yyQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></p>
<p>On Sunday, Reid accused Comey, a Republican with a reputation of enforcing the law equally, of playing partisan politics with the investigation.</p>
<p>"Your actions in recent months have demonstrated a disturbing double standard for the treatment of sensitive information, with what appears to be a clear intent to aid one political party over another," Reid <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-james-comey-letter-2016-10">wrote in a letter to Comey</a>.</p>
<p>The minority leader also suggested that the director was withholding information about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's potential ties to Russia.</p>
<p>"In my communications with you and other top officials in the national security community, it has become clear that you possess explosive information about close ties and coordination between Donald Trump, his top advisors, and the Russian government — a foreign interest openly hostile to the United States, which Trump praises at every opportunity," Reid said.</p>
<p>Reid had <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-fbi-director-comey-clinton-probe-2016-11">praised Comey</a> after the FBI's initial investigation into Clinton yielded no recommendation for charges. At the time he said "no one can question the integrity" of Comey.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/dga-phil-scott-vermont-koch-brothers-2016-10" >Democrats are trolling a top gubernatorial candidate for claiming he doesn't 'know who the Koch brothers are'</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trey-gowdy-harry-reid-mormons-drugs-james-comey-fbi-2016-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/venezuela-was-latin-americas-richest-country-heres-how-it-fell-apart-2017-7">Venezuela was Latin America’s richest country and now it is in complete crisis — here’s how it fell apart</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-fbi-director-comey-clinton-probe-2016-11Brutal video montage shows Democrats lavishing praise on FBI Director Comey after initial Clinton probehttp://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-fbi-director-comey-clinton-probe-2016-11
Tue, 01 Nov 2016 09:41:25 -0400Oliver Darcy
<p>A video montage produced by a conservative news website showed Democrats praising FBI Director James Comey over the summer after his agency's initial investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server yielded no recommendation for charges.</p>
<p>In the video, created by the Washington Free Beacon, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, the Democratic nominee for vice president, called Comey “wonderful” and said he was a “tough career public servant.”</p>
<p>House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called him a “great man” and said “we are very privileged in our country to have him be the director of the FBI.” And Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said “no one can question the integrity, the competence” of Comey.</p>
<p><div>
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<p>The tune of top Democrats has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-clinton-camp-turns-up-the-pressure-on-fbi-chief-over-email-probe-2016-10" target="_blank">dramatically changed in recent days</a> after Comey announced he had reopened the investigation into Clinton after new emails were discovered. Reid suggested Comey was guilty of possibly violating federal law and Kaine has questioned has called his behavior “extremely puzzling.”</p>
<p>Comey, a Republican, was appointed as FBI director in 2013 by President Barack Obama.</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cnn-donald-trump-edits-2016-10" >CNN quietly edits incorrect Trump story, adds an editor's note only after media report</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-fbi-director-comey-clinton-probe-2016-11#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-clinton-greg-norman-injury-monica-lewinsky-2017-8">Golf legend Greg Norman reveals the truth behind President Bill Clinton's late-night 1997 injury</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-russia-comey-clinton-2016-10Report: Comey expressed concerns about accusing Russia of meddling with election because it was too close to Novemberhttp://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-russia-comey-clinton-2016-10
Mon, 31 Oct 2016 17:19:40 -0400Allan Smith
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/5817a741362ca41d008b5fb7-1879/gettyimages-545324212.jpg" alt="James Comey" data-mce-source="Alex Wong/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="James Comey." /></p><p>FBI Director James Comey argued in private against accusing&nbsp;Russia of&nbsp;meddling in the US election, contending it was too close to election day in November for such an announcement, a former FBI official <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/31/fbis-comey-opposed-naming-russians-citing-election-timing-source.html" target="_blank">told CNBC</a> on Monday.</p>
<p>That allegation came&nbsp;just days after Comey sent a letter to congressional leaders informing them that&nbsp;the FBI found new emails in another investigation that may be "pertinent" to the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, which he had deemed closed over the summer.</p>
<p>The Friday announcement regarding Clinton&nbsp;came just 11 days before the election, well within the department's standard of not releasing information that could affect a presidential or congressional election within 60 days of voting. Comey's now facing a barrage of attacks from prominent Democrats and political analysts for sending the shocking letter on Friday.</p>
<p>The unidentified CNBC source said that Comey made sure his organization's name was not on the document released by the US government, cited repeatedly by Clinton and her campaign but denounced by Republican nominee Donald Trump, that evidence pointed to Russia meddling in the US election.</p>
<p>That source&nbsp;added that insiders were&nbsp;puzzled why Comey would have issues with the timing regarding the Russia disclosure, but not with the email discovery, which reportedly&nbsp;were<span> uncovered in connection with an investigation into disgraced Rep. Anthony Weiner &mdash; who's estranged wife, Huma Abedin, is a top Clinton aide &mdash; over allegations he sexted with a 15-year-old girl.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>A representative for the FBI declined a request for comment from Business Insider.</p>
<p>Without the FBI's involvement, the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued an early October statement saying the "US intelligence community is confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of emails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations ... These thefts and disclosures are intended to interfere with the US election process."</p>
<p>The former official said&nbsp;that Comey&nbsp;agreed with the conclusion that other prominent US intelligence sources came to.</p>
<p><span></span>"A foreign power was trying to undermine the election," the source said. "He believed it to be true, but was against putting it out before the election ... if it is said, it shouldn't come from the FBI, which as you'll recall it did not."</p>
<p>The source said Comey had a different approach to the email revelation because of his summer press conference on his determination. <span>In July, Comey announced that the case had reached its conclusion and he would not recommend charges, later saying no prosecutor would. He did, however, say Clinton acted with "extreme carelessness" in using the private server.</span></p>
<p>"By doing a press conference, and personally testifying and giving his opinion about the conduct, he made this about James Comey and his credibility," the official said. "You can see why he did it, from his perspective, once he had had that press conference."&nbsp;</p>
<p><span>A Sunday <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/laptop-may-include-thousands-of-emails-linked-to-hillary-clintons-private-server-1477854957" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal report</a>&nbsp;indicated that there could be as many as 650,000 emails to sift through, and it's unknown how many are potentially related to Clinton. Other reports showed&nbsp;Comey apparently went against the recommendation of the Department of Justice in sending the letter to congressional leaders.</span>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The CNBC report was almost immediately blasted out by prominent Democrats, including Clinton herself on Twitter, who posted the story with the caption "incredible."&nbsp;</p>
<p><span>Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid's office joined in as well.</span></p>
<p><span>His deputy chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, sent the story out to his press list with the caption "Ahem."</span></p>
<p><span>In a scathing Sunday night statement, Reid <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-james-comey-letter-2016-10" target="_blank">may have foreshadowed today's story</a>, contending&nbsp;that Comey had demonstrated a double-standard, making the explosive claim that he withheld information about Trump's possible ties to Russia.</span></p>
<p>"In my communications with you and other top officials in the national security community, it has become clear that you possess explosive information about close ties and coordination between Donald Trump, his top advisors, and the Russian government &mdash; a foreign interest openly hostile to the United States, which Trump praises at every opportunity," Reid said. "The public has a right to know this information."</p>
<p>"I wrote to you months ago calling for this information to be released to the public," he continued. "There is no danger to American interests from releasing it. And yet, you continue to resist calls to inform the public of this critical information. By contrast, as soon as you came into possession of the slightest innuendo related to Secretary Clinton, you rushed to publicize it in the most negative light possible."&nbsp;</p>
<p>But it is worth noting that the CNBC story came from just a single source. In mid-October, <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/10/13/fbi-doj-roiled-by-comey-lynch-decision-to-let-clinton-slide-by-on-emails-says-insider.html" target="_blank">a similar single-source story was published in Fox News</a>, claiming that the career agents and attorneys working the Clinton case "unanimously" believed Clinton should have been charged. The FBI is notorious for internal strife between offices and individuals attempting to grab power and tear down others, and there's a chance that, in both cases, a source was looking to sting&nbsp;Comey.</p>
<p>Asked about promoting the one-source story, Clinton's campaign manager Robby Mook told reporters in a conference call that the story had been confirmed by a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/james-comey-clinton-emails_us_5817b25de4b064e1b4b456f4?014c15cg5cvdxcg14i" target="_blank">Huffington Post story</a>, which relied on&nbsp;an anonymous non-FBI source.&nbsp;</p>
<p>"We're simply acting on the information we have here, which has now been confirmed by two sources," he said after slamming House Republicans for calling the letter from Comey a "re-opening" of the case based on what he deemed as minimal information.</p>
<p>Clinton's campaign also called on Comey to release all information on FBI investigations into Trump and his associates ties to Russia.</p>
<p>"Director Comey is the one who opened this door," Mook said, later adding, "It was Director Comey who opened this door and broke protocol."</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/john-kasich-russia-2016-10" >JOHN KASICH: I'm 'very surprised' at the 'intensity of our differences' with Russia</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-russia-comey-clinton-2016-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-donald-trump-memes-first-200-days-president-white-house-twitter-2017-8">The 9 best memes from Trump's first 200 days in office</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-james-comey-letter-2016-10Harry Reid says James Comey may have broken law, makes explosive claim about Trump in fiery letterhttp://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-james-comey-letter-2016-10
Sun, 30 Oct 2016 19:14:20 -0400Mark Abadi
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/58167857b28a6478248b5985-928/gettyimages-609134584.jpg" alt="Harry Reid" data-mce-source="Getty Images/Alex Wong" data-mce-caption=".S. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) speaks during a news briefing after a weekly policy luncheon at the Capitol September 20, 2016 in Washington, DC."></p><p>Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has joined the onslaught of criticism from Democrats against James Comey, on Sunday accusing the FBI director of playing partisan politics and saying he may have violated federal law by revealing that his office was continuing the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.</p>
<p>"Your actions in recent months have demonstrated a disturbing double standard for the treatment of sensitive information, with what appears to be a clear intent to aid one political party over another," Reid wrote to Comey <a href="http://www.reid.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Letter-to-Director-Comey-10_30_2016.pdf">in a letter</a> published on the senator's website.</p>
<p>Comey <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fbi-re-opening-investigation-into-hillary-private-e-mail-server-2016-10">announced in a letter to congressional leaders Friday</a> that the FBI would renew the Clinton email investigation after finding potential new evidence in an unrelated investigation of former congressman Anthony Weiner.</p>
<p>Top Clinton campaign staffers have accused Comey of breaking with department guidelines for informing the public about ongoing investigations, describing his actions as an attempt to influence the results of the presidential election.</p>
<p>But Reid's comments may be the fiercest condemnation yet of Comey. The outgoing Senate minority leader said Comey's actions may have violated the <a href="https://osc.gov/pages/hatchact.aspx">Hatch Act</a>, a federal law that ensures "that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion."</p>
<p>Reid argued that Comey had demonstrated a double standard, making an explosive claim that the FBI director was withholding information about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's possible ties to Russia.</p>
<p>"In my communications with you and other top officials in the national security community, it has become clear that you possess explosive information about close ties and coordination between Donald Trump, his top advisors, and the Russian government — a foreign interest openly hostile to the United States, which Trump praises at every opportunity," Reid said.</p>
<p>He continued:</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"The public has a right to know this information. I wrote to you months ago calling for this information to be released to the public. There is no danger to American interests from releasing it. And yet, you continue to resist calls to inform the public of this critical information."</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"By contrast, as soon as you came into possession of the slightest innuendo related to Secretary Clinton, you rushed to publicize it in the most negative light possible."</p>
<p>Reid echoed the frustrations of several of Clinton's surrogates, who have insisted that the newly discovered emails that attracted the FBI's interest may be duplicates of ones already reviewed by the FBI.</p>
<p><img class="center" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/577e809b4321f171088b679f-2400/gettyimages-545319610.jpg" alt="James Comey" data-mce-source="Alex Wong/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="James Comey.">"The clear double-standard established by your actions strongly suggests that your highly selective approach to publicizing information, along with your timing, was intended for the success or failure of a partisan candidate or political group," Reid said.</p>
<p>Comey was a registered Republican for most of his life, though he said in July that he was <a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/james-comey-testimony/2016/07/what-party-is-james-comey-registered-as-225223">no longer registered</a> with any party.</p>
<p>Reid, who is not seeking reelection in November, ended his letter to Comey bluntly.</p>
<p>"Please keep in mind that I have been a supporter of yours in the past," he said. "When Republicans filibustered your nomination and delayed your confirmation longer than any previous nominee to your position, I led the fight to get you confirmed because I believed you to be a principled public servant.</p>
<p>"With the deepest regret, I now see that I was wrong."</p>
<h2>Reid the full letter below:</h2>
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<p style=" margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;"> <a title="View Reid Letter to Comey on Scribd" href="https://www.scribd.com/document/329447363/Reid-Letter-to-Comey#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;">Reid Letter to Comey</a> by <a title="View Brett LoGiurato's profile on Scribd" href="https://www.scribd.com/user/187024194/Brett-LoGiurato#from_embed" style="text-decoration: underline;">Brett LoGiurato</a> on Scribd</p>
<iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" src="https://www.scribd.com/embeds/329447363/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;access_key=key-T9uHXcbLo5AIj6ZmEhGS&amp;show_recommendations=true" data-auto-height="false" data-aspect-ratio="0.7727272727272727" scrolling="no" id="doc_53081" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0"></iframe>
</div></p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hillary-clinton-james-comey-email-investigation-2016-10" >Hillary Clinton's campaign is going after James Comey personally for new email revelation story</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-james-comey-letter-2016-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-donald-trump-memes-first-200-days-president-white-house-twitter-2017-8">The 9 best memes from Trump's first 200 days in office</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-real-clear-politics-the-worst-2016-10Editor has a great response to Harry Reid calling his publication 'one of the worst'http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-real-clear-politics-the-worst-2016-10
Thu, 06 Oct 2016 17:38:44 -0400Maxwell Tani
<p><img style="float:right;" src="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/57f6bc399bd9782b258b524d-2400/rtspqap.jpg" alt="harry reid" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Gary Cameron" data-mce-caption="Sen. Minority Leader Harry Reid during a press conference on Capitol Hill." /></p><p>Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid asserted Thursday that&nbsp;one of the most frequently cited outlets for state and national polling numbers is&nbsp;"the worst."</p>
<p>During&nbsp;a conference call with reporters Thursday,&nbsp;<span>RealClearPolitics reporter James Arkin asked the senator to respond to polls that showed former Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Mastro trailing&nbsp;in the race to replace the retiring Reid in the Senate.</span></p>
<p>"All of them are wrong," Reid responded, referring to polls RCP includes in its aggregator. "Rather than doing your own stuff, all you do is average out all these bad polls."</p>
<p>He added that "RealClearPolitics is totally unimpressive to me" and called the site "one of the worst."</p>
<p>But if&nbsp;RealClearPolitics Executive Editor Carl Cannon&nbsp;was particularly bothered by Reid's comment, he didn't express it publicly.</p>
<p>In an email to Business Insider,&nbsp;Cannon noted Reid's often outspoken nature and lauded his&nbsp;candor.</p>
<p>"I&rsquo;m reminded of Harry Reid&rsquo;s own description of his approach to public discourse, which he once explained to a beleaguered aide this way: 'My mouth works faster than my brain. And it just comes out.' I think that explains why many of us in the media will miss Sen. Reid when he retires. At least he&rsquo;s colorful," Cannon said.</p>
<p>While Reid argued&nbsp;that many public polls underestimated his chances at winning his 2010 reelection, Canon&nbsp;pointed out that RCP&nbsp;was&nbsp;far from the only outlet whose data did not correctly predict the results of that particular race.</p>
<p>"As to the merits of his point about the polling in 2010 Senate race, it&rsquo;s true that most pollsters got that race wrong. But not all. In the interest of giving credit where it&rsquo;s due, the polling outfit that got it right was the Suffolk University Political Research Center," Cannon said.</p>
<p>RealClearPolitics was the subject of Reid's ire on Thursday, but the outlet is&nbsp;far from the only target of Reid's scorn this election cycle.</p>
<p>Last month, the majority leader lashed out at CNN reporter Manu Raju after he asked Reid why Hillary Clinton appeared to be slipping in many state and national polls.</p>
<p>"You keep going back to your numbers. They're not fair, they're not reliable," Reid said.</p>
<p>"I don't buy your silliness, with your $500 polls you go out and buy overnight," he added. "I don't believe them, they're not right, they're incorrect.&nbsp;You only do it to generate some news."</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fox-news-jesse-watters-chinatown-2016-10" >A Fox News correspondent is in hot water after a racially charged segment in New York City's Chinatown</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-real-clear-politics-the-worst-2016-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/best-donald-trump-memes-first-200-days-president-white-house-twitter-2017-8">The 9 best memes from Trump's first 200 days in office</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-donald-trump-nevada-how-to-pronounce-2016-10HARRY REID UNLOADS ON TRUMP: He 'raped and pillaged' Atlantic City, and he can't even pronounce 'Nevada'http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-donald-trump-nevada-how-to-pronounce-2016-10
Thu, 06 Oct 2016 14:46:52 -0400Pamela Engel
<p>Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid railed against Donald Trump in a conference call Thursday, slamming the Republican presidential nominee for not knowing how to pronounce "Nevada" and seeming unfamiliar with the big issues in the state, calling him a "miniature" version of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and sharply criticizing his Atlantic City casino business.</p>
<p>Trump campaigned in Nevada on Wednesday, and even supporters in the crowd at his rally pointed out that he was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-nevada-pronunciation-2016-10" target="_blank">mispronouncing the state's name</a> (while insisting that he knew how to pronounce it correctly):</p>
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<p>Reid, who has been a senator for Nevada since 1987, was quick to point out Trump's mistake on Twitter:</p>
<p><div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
If Trump wants to come down from the penthouse his daddy bought him to lecture us on Nevada, he could at least pronounce it correctly. </p>— Senator Harry Reid (@SenatorReid) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/783862774241849344">October 6, 2016</a>
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<p>He continued his criticism during the Thursday conference call.</p>
<p>"What amazed me about his visit to Nevada wasn't just he doesn't know how to say the word Nevada … but he has no idea what he's talking about most of the time," Reid said. "[T]rump acted like he knew what was going on despite being completely ignorant."</p>
<p>He continued: "He won't listen to people who tell him when he's wrong. This is a man who couldn't listen to his own staff for long enough to know how to pronounce the name of our state. ... For Donald Trump, nothing is embarrassing to him."</p>
<p>Reid also called out Trump for not appearing to know much about the Yucca Mountain proposal that would bring a federal nuclear waste repository to the state.</p>
<p>"I'm going to take a look at it, because so many people are talking about it," Trump <a href="http://news3lv.com/news/local/exclusive-one-on-one-with-presidential-candidate-donald-trump">told NBC's Las Vegas affiliate</a> on Wednesday. "I came into town and everyone's talking about it. So I will take a very strong look at it, and the next time you interview me, we'll talk about it for five minutes."</p>
<p>Reid said this proves Trump is "clueless about Nevada."</p>
<p>"This has been going on for more than 20 years in Nevada, this is the No. 1 issue," he said on the call. "Isn't that so nice that he'll take a look at it? ... If Trump doesn't know how to pronounce the name of our state, how would Nevadans expect him to look out for our state?"</p>
<p>Reid, who is retiring after this year, also hit Trump for not releasing his tax returns, saying he would be the "first president in modern history" to refuse to do so. Every major-party nominee since 1976 has released his or her returns.</p>
<p>"He raped and pillaged Atlantic City," Reid said, referring to the hiccups in Trump's casino business there. "Who knows what his tax returns would show?"</p>
<p>He also called Trump a "fraud."</p>
<p>"I don't know why Donald Trump thinks he's above the requirement of being candid with the American people," Reid said. "He is a complete … fraud."</p><p><strong>SEE ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-nevada-pronunciation-2016-10" >Donald Trump flubs 'Nevada' pronunciation while telling people to say it correctly</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/harry-reid-donald-trump-nevada-how-to-pronounce-2016-10#comments">Join the conversation about this story &#187;</a></p> <p>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-clinton-greg-norman-injury-monica-lewinsky-2017-8">Golf legend Greg Norman reveals the truth behind President Bill Clinton's late-night 1997 injury</a></p> http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-mispronounced-nevada-2016-10Donald Trump mispronounced Nevada while trying to teach a Nevada crowd how to say ithttp://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-mispronounced-nevada-2016-10
Thu, 06 Oct 2016 10:27:36 -0400Jacqui Frank
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<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5fe06528-9a45-b9ff-c6ba-7e9001ffda69"><span>During a campaign stop in Nevada, Donald Trump stopped his speech to educate the crowd on how to pronounce the state correctly, mispronouncing it in the process. </span></span></p>
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